A Penny for Your Thoughts
by Proforce
Summary: Story 6. Ash and company finally arrive at Cinnabar Island. He's ready to battle for his next badge, but the arrival of an old friend and the revelation of new enemies changes everything. Can he adjust, or will there be terrible consequences? R&R please


"A Penny for Your Thoughts"  
Author: Robert Brown  
  
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo,  
Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case   
they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have  
permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for   
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as   
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express   
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to   
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it   
will be considered a violation of copyright law.  
  
Author's Note: Well, here I am, story #6. I know, I know, whatever fans I  
have left are probably sick and tired of waiting for these stories to come   
out. I wish I could write them more often, but there's just so much more on   
my plate. Well, for those who have stuck with me, you're in for a few treats  
this time. The summary told you most of them, but of course, there are a few  
more. Till next time, Happy Reading!  
Here's a side note to all the reviewers out there who are  
positive I'm doing Ash/Misty and to those who think I'm doing Ash/Pikachu. Of  
course, one side is right, but I'm not telling who is. I just ask that   
everyone play nice and keep the flames to a minimum. These are supposed to be  
read for enjoyment, try to remember that, ok? Support your pairing all you   
want, but please don't attack the other one. That is all.   
  
#6  
  
After a long and thoughtful journey, Ash and his friends finally reached  
the shores of Cinnabar Island. "Great job Lapras," Ash said as they all   
climbed down off the pokémon's back. "Return!"  
"We finally made it," Misty said as Lapras returned to her pokéball.   
"Yeah," Ash said, clipping Lapras' pokéball onto his belt, "now I can   
finally go after my seventh badge."  
"Hold it!" Misty said, making the others jump. "The only place you're  
going is to a hotel or the Pokémon Center to reserve us a room. Got that?   
And while you're doing that," she continued, placing Togepi in Ash's arms and  
taking Pikachu from his shoulder, "Pikachu and I are going to do some shopping  
in town. We'll meet up with you guys later."  
"B-but--" Ash tried to protest but Misty just turned and walked away.  
"And while we're at it," Misty whispered to Pikachu as she walked, "you  
and I are going to have that little girl talk I promised."  
"Pikapi!" Pikachu wailed, holding out her arms to a stunned Ash. She  
briefly considered shocking her way free of Misty, but she knew that it would  
only cause more trouble than it solved.   
Ash and Brock watched until Misty and Pikachu had blended into the crowd  
of people walking along the beach before even blinking. "That was weird,"   
Brock said, for once not even taking notice of the beautiful, bikini-clad   
ladies that were parading in front of him.  
"Umm, yeah," Ash agreed slowly, unconsciously bouncing a now slumbering  
Togepi in his arms. "I guess we should find somewhere to stay, huh? Wow...I  
didn't think there'd be that many people here."  
"Well, Cinnabar Island isn't known just for its badge," Brock said,   
pulling out his guide book and leafing through it. "It says here that it's   
become quite the tourist trap in recent years as the volcano's energy was   
harnessed to produce some of the best hot springs in the entire region."  
"The volcano's energy," Ash mused, looking at the volcano that towered   
over the people and the buildings as a thought occurred to him. "Hmm...."  
"Well, unless we want Misty to blow her top, we'd better get moving,"  
Brock said, getting behind Ash and pushing him toward the nearby Pokémon   
Center. "Besides, I can tell there's a pretty girl on this island waiting for  
me!"  
Ash shook his head with a smirk, then jogged ahead quickly so that Brock  
nearly fell on his face. But as they headed to the Center, Ash couldn't stop  
thinking about Misty's weird behavior. "Oh well," he thought, "I'm sure I'll  
figure it out eventually."  
While Ash and Brock were trying to check into the Pokémon Center, Misty  
carried Pikachu straight to a well known women's clothing store. She passed   
by all the sales clerks without a word and then deposited Pikachu into a   
dressing room. "Now then," she told the frightened pokémon, "I need you to  
change back to a human for me. I don't exactly want a repeat of Ash seeing  
you without any clothes."  
Pikachu's cheeks flushed as she nodded, her fear giving way to shame.   
In the recent excitement, she'd managed to forget about that little detail of   
her transformation. She changed back to her human form, arms crossed in front  
of her bare breasts and her eyes downcast modestly.   
Misty looked over her form with a critical eye. Contrary to what her  
sisters thought, Misty did have good fashion sense. But because of all the  
travelling she did, she preferred function over fashion. The type of clothing  
her sisters wore wouldn't last a full day outdoors. Even so, she knew she   
didn't look bad.  
"All right," she said finally, making Pikachu look up. "We're almost   
the same size, but our coloring is completely different. I think I know what  
would be good for you. Now I'm going to find you a set of clothes and bring  
them back here. Don't move from this room and don't let anyone in, do you  
understand?"  
"I understand Misty," Pikachu said quietly. Misty dropped her backpack  
on the ground and headed out into the store. Pikachu took the chance to look  
at herself in the full-length mirror provided. "So, this is how you see me  
Ash," she thought, looking herself up and down. "I hope...I hope this is a   
body you can fall in love with."  
Some time later, on the other side of the island, Ash and Brock barely  
made it to a bench before collapsing on it in sheer exhaustion. They had   
checked every hotel and both Pokémon Centers only to find them completely   
filled up. Apparently a breeder's convention was being held over the next few  
days and everything had been booked up for weeks. There wasn't a bed, much   
less a room, available.  
"I can't believe this," Ash moaned. "What are we going to do? If we   
even suggest camping out to Misty, we're both going to have our heads caved in  
by fists, feet, or mallet."  
"Stop exaggerating Ash," Brock groaned, throwing his arms over the back  
of the bench. "What I can't believe is that I didn't know anything about this  
convention. If I had any warning, any warning at all, I could've had Vulpix  
ready to show. But I have no chance now. I feel like I've let Suzie down."  
"Oh don't be silly Brock!" Suzie said, sticking her head in between   
Brock's and Ash's with a smile on her face.  
Both Ash and Brock jumped in surprise, almost falling off before they   
just caught themselves. "Suzie!" Brock yelled as he righted himself. "You  
nearly gave us a heart attack!"  
"Toge prii!" Togepi trilled from Ash's arms, enjoying herself as only a  
baby can.  
"I'm sorry," Suzie said with a slight giggle, walking around to sit on  
the bench between the two boys. "I didn't mean to surprise you. I'm just a  
little surprised myself to see you here. I've been trying to get a hold of   
you for a few weeks now, but you haven't been checking your e-mail. I was  
hoping you could make it here to the convention, and here you are."  
"I should apologize for that," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck  
with his hand. "Things have been really hectic for us lately. None of us  
have really had the chance to relax."  
"Oh don't worry about it," Suzie said with a smile, brushing a lock of  
her greenish hair behind her shoulder. "Listen, I didn't mean to eavesdrop,  
but I overheard your problem. I think I could help you, if you don't mind."  
"Mind?" Ash said, perking up at once. "Suzie, you'd be a lifesaver!"  
"Well then, you can stay with me. I was invited to the convention as  
one of the head guest speakers, and they gave me a hotel suite way too big for  
me to be in by myself. I'd be happy to share with you; there's plenty of room  
to go around."  
"Us? S-Stay with you?" Brock stammered, suddenly very nervous and   
finding it hard to breathe.  
"Wow, thanks!" Ash said, standing up. "We'd be glad to go with--"  
"Ash, I need to talk to you," Brock said quickly, jumping up and   
grabbing Ash by the shoulder. "We'll be right back Suzie. Could you watch  
Togepi for us?"  
"Umm, all right," she said, a hint of confusion creeping into her face  
and her voice.  
"What's your problem Brock?" Ash demanded as Brock pulled him away.  
"Ash, there is no way I can share the same suite as Suzie," Brock hissed  
in a low voice.  
"Why not Brock? I figured you'd jump at the chance to be close to her."  
"Are you crazy?" Brock nearly yelled, just remembering to keep his   
voice down. "Suzie is the only girl I know that I'm interested in where I can  
keep myself from going absolutely crazy around! I don't trust myself to stay  
in control if I'm around her that much!"  
"What scares you more Brock? Losing control around Suzie or telling   
Misty you turned down her only chance to spend a night in a bed for probably  
the next week?"  
"Like I said Ash, don't--"  
"One word," Ash said, cutting Brock off. "Gyarados."  
Brock cringed visibly at the mention of Misty's newest pokémon. "She  
wouldn't...." he tried to say, but then hung his head as he realized it was  
futile. "You're right, she would."  
"Great, then it's settled," Ash said loudly, making Suzie look up from   
where she was cooing at Togepi. "Suzie, we'd love to take you up on your   
offer."  
"Great!" Suzie said with a warm smile that almost made Brock melt.  
"Go on Brock," Ash said, shoving Brock next to Suzie as she stood up.  
"Brock will go with you and take Togepi. I'll find Misty and Pikachu and let  
them know what's going on."  
"Sounds good," Suzie said, threading her arm through Brock's, making his  
face go almost completely pink. "I'm staying at the Flaming Flareon Hotel, in  
the penthouse. You can't miss it."  
"Works for me. I'll see you two later!" Ash called as he jogged off,   
pointedly ignoring the death glares he knew Brock was sending his way. "Now I  
just have to find Misty and Pikachu."  
He walked around for about a half-hour, checking the stores he thought  
Misty would be in, but she was nowhere to be found. He even checked a woman's  
clothing store, to his extreme embarassment, and had to run out as soon as he  
saw that she wasn't in there. With no other leads, he headed toward a nearby  
café to grab some food and plan out his next move.  
By pure coincidence, Misty and Pikachu were at that exact same café,   
relaxing and eating as they talked. "So that's the whole story," Pikachu   
said, nervously dipping one of her apple slices in ketchup. "At least, I  
don't think I've left anything out. Except for kissing him and catching  
Articuno." The last sentence was only said in her mind though, not about to  
remind Misty about that kiss if she could help it.  
Misty sighed and swirled her lemonade with her straw. It was a lot to  
take in, but the proof was right there in front of her. "So what are we going  
to do then?" she asked, looking up.  
"What can we do? I love Ash. You love Ash. It's all going to come   
down to who he loves, isn't it?"  
"Yeah," Misty said quietly. She was scared, scared of losing Ash. Up  
until this moment, there had been no real threats to Ash's affections. But   
now his best friend and first pokémon was also a human girl when she wanted to   
be. Add in the fact that she loved Ash just as much as Misty did, and you had  
a very combustible situation.   
"We just need to figure out how to break the news to him," Pikachu said,  
leaning back in her chair. "You know how much he loves surprises."  
Misty couldn't help but chuckle at that. She caught sight of a certain   
red hat behind Pikachu and grinned. "Here's our chance."  
Pikachu stiffened and turned her upper body slowly around until she   
could look behind her. Sure enough, Ash was standing only a few feet away,   
looking like a statue. "You always did have the best timing," she thought,  
shaking her head.  
Ash, on the other hand, felt like his brain had completely shut down.  
He had spotted Misty's signature ponytail as soon as he neared the café and   
had hurried over to tell her the good news. It was only as he get closer that  
he had noticed she had company. The girl Misty was sitting with had long   
brown hair that went past her waist, nearly hiding his view of her light brown   
tank top. He caught sight of her dark brown shorts ending just above her   
knees as she crossed her legs, as well as the brown knee-high boots she wore.  
And the whole time, he knew he'd seen her somewhere before, but it wasn't   
until Misty had acknowledged his presence and the girl had turned around that  
he made the connection and his brain shut down.  
"It's you," he said, walking over and sitting down at the table.   
"You're the girl who saved my life!"  
"Umm, hi," she said, blushing a little.  
Ash just stared for a moment into her warm brown eyes before asking a   
lot of questions rapid-fire. The poor girl was so flustered that it took   
Misty yanking hard on Ash's hair to get him to stop. "Ow! What'd you do that  
for?"  
"First of all, how do you expect her to answer your questions when you  
don't give her a chance to get a word in edgewise?" Misty asked, arching an  
eyebrow.   
Ash blushed and pulled his hat down a little to cover it. "Sorry," he  
muttered. "I just have so many questions about what happened and where you  
came from. I don't even know your name."  
"It's...Penny," she said with a slight hesitation that Ash didn't   
notice.  
"Nice save," Misty mouthed at her with a smirk.  
"Well, as much as I'd like to explain everything now," Penny said,   
throwing an irritated glare Misty's way, "I just went through it with Misty  
here and I have the feeling I'll have to explain it again when we meet up with  
Brock so I'd rather just wait until everyone was together."  
"Speaking of which, where is Brock?" Misty asked. "Did you guys find  
somewhere for us to stay?"  
"Well, not really," Ash started, but quickly held up his hands when he  
saw Misty's anger rising. "Wait a minute Misty, it's not like that! There's  
some convention here and everything's all booked up!"  
"You mean we have to camp out again?" Misty demanded, her eyes narrowed  
into tiny slits.  
"No!" Ash yelled quickly, making a few of the café's other patrons look  
at him oddly. "No," he continued in an undertone. "Actually, that was why I   
was looking for you. We ran into Suzie and she said we could share her hotel  
suite."  
"Suzie's here?" Penny asked with a smile. "Wow, it'll be great to see  
her again.  
"You know Suzie?"  
"Err...well, she said she'd explain it later Ash," Misty said, standing   
up and pulling Ash to his feet, looping her arm through his. "Come on, let's   
get going. I want to see this suite we're staying in. You do know where they  
are, right?"  
"Of course I do," Ash said, sounding a bit miffed. "It's the Flaming  
Flareon hotel in the penthouse suite."  
"The penthouse!" Penny said excitedly as she stood up and looped her   
arm through Ash's free one. "I've always wanted to stay in a penthouse. The  
view must be terrific from up there."  
Ash sweatdropped at Penny's excitement, but soon gulped as he noticed   
the stares passing between the girls. They were being calm, civil, and even  
friendly toward each other. Underneath the veneer of friendliness lurked a  
very powerful sense of rivalry, and he had the distinct feeling he was the  
subject. "Brock would give anything to be in a situation like this," he  
thought, looking back and forth between the girls as they walked. "Me, all I  
want is for Pikachu to thunderbolt me out of it!"  
"Hey, wait a minute!" Ash said so suddenly that both Misty and Penny  
were almost pulled off their feet. "Where's Pikachu?"  
"Pikachu?" Misty asked, hoping Ash didn't notice her sweatdrop. "She  
was feeling a little run down so I dropped her off at the Pokémon Center to  
have her recharged. You can pick her up tonight."  
"Nice save," Penny mouthed mockingly behind Ash.  
"Gee, thanks a lot Misty," Ash said with a smile that made Misty's   
heart skip a beat or two.   
"Anytime Ash," Misty said with a small smile of her own.  
"Can we please get moving?" Penny asked, glaring at Misty.  
Ash flinched back from the electricity he could swear was crackling  
between the two girls' stares. "Let's just go," he said quickly, walking  
forward and dragging them along.  
They only made it halfway to the hotel when three figures jumped out at  
them. "Hold it right there!" the redheaded female yelled.  
"Team Rocket?" Ash asked, taking a step in front of both girls. "What  
are you doing here?"  
"As you know," James said, his arms crossed over his chest, "our boss   
has given us the direct order to capture Pikachu. Now, that means we actually  
have to try it now and again. Nothing personal, you know."  
"So, without further ado," Meowth said, holding up the Team Rocket fans,  
"we present our newest addition to the Team Rocket fighting team!"  
"In its first battle ever against Team Twerp," Jessie said with a small  
smirk on her lips, "I present to you, Dratini!" In a burst of fanfare,   
Dratini emerged from her pokéball. Instead of looking ready to attack though,  
she leapt up into Jessie's arms and nuzzled her face. "Yes yes," Jessie said,  
looking a bit embarassed, "I love you too, but we're getting ready to have a   
battle here."  
A determined glint appeared in Dratini's eyes as she leapt down and   
assumed a battle pose. "Much better," James said with a cocky grin. "Now  
then, let's get going."  
"So let Pikachu get--" Meowth cut himself off as he stared at Ash.  
"Hey! Where is she anyway?"  
"It took you this long to figure out she wasn't even here?" Ash asked  
sarcastically.   
"Can it," Jessie snapped. "Just great. We spent all that time working  
on our entrance and now we can't even battle."  
"Say, why don't we take some of their other pokémon?" Meowth asked.   
"We could hold them hostage to make him turn over Pikachu."  
"You know guys," Penny said in a low, dangerous voice, "this is really  
not a good time for this."  
"Oh look, another Twerpette," James said in a singsong voice.   
"Hmm, looks like the other one has some competition," Jessie said, the  
smirk back on her lips as she eyed how both Penny and Misty were holding onto  
Ash's arms.  
"Why don't you all leave, now, before I make you," Penny said in that  
same voice, shrugging free of Ash's arm and taking a step toward Team Rocket.  
"Hmmph, she obviously doesn't know who she's dealing with," James said.  
"Why look, she doesn't even have any pokémon on her."  
"Look, I have nothing against you personally," Jessie said, reaching   
for another pokéball, "but you have to learn not to get in our way. Go!  
Lickitung!"  
"Tung!" the pink and yellow pokémon yelled as he appeared, his tongue  
waving in the air.   
"Lickitung! Go lick that girl until she learns some respect for Team  
Rocket!"  
"Licki!" Lickitung cried, running over toward Penny.  
Penny's eyes flashed bright with something like electricity as she  
watched Lickitung approach. "I warned you!" she said, lifting her arms to  
the sky. To everyone's great surprise, she seemed to fall in on herself,   
shrinking in an instant until only a pile of her clothes remained.   
"What?" everyone except Misty screamed, taking a step back.  
"Licki?" Lickitung asked, prodding at the pile of clothes with his  
tongue. "Tung? Tung?"  
A black tipped, yellow furred ear poked out of the pile of clothes.  
"Pi...."  
"Tung!" Lickitung squealed in fear, backing away so fast it fell on its  
backside.  
A second ear, exactly like the first, poked free of the clothing.   
"Ka...."  
"Licki!" Lickitung wailed, running and hiding behind Jessie's legs,   
quivering in fear.   
"What is your problem?" Jessie demanded. Then she looked over at the   
clothing and saw a very familiar face peeking out from it. One with a lot of  
electricity leaping from her red cheeks. "It can't be!"  
"CHU!" Pikachu yelled, launching a powerful Thunder at Team Rocket,  
sending them flying off almost before her attack was finished.  
"That was a shocking development," Jessie cried.  
"Yeah, but the shock was on us!" James moaned.  
"Oh, so that's what she used her wish for," Meowth said, rubbing his  
chin thoughtfully.  
"I don't know what you're talking about Meowth," Jessie said, "but I do  
know one thing...."  
"We're blasting off again!" all three yelled as they faded off into the  
distance.   
"Dratini!" Dratini chimed in, just barely heard by the others.  
Pikachu breathed hard for a few moments before she calmed down. She   
held her arms straight out to the sides as she changed back into her human  
form which she had named Penny. "I tried to warn them," she said, making sure  
all her clothing had gone where they were supposed to as she changed back.   
"Oh well, I just wish I had figured out how to handle these boots though," she  
muttered as she pulled her boots back on.  
After she was done, she turned around to face the others and froze.  
Misty had her face in her hands, shaking her head back and forth in disbelief.  
Ash was just standing there, his mouth wide open in disbelief. "Umm, Ash?"  
she asked, waving her hand in Ash's face.  
Ash stared at her for a moment, then shifted his gaze over to Misty.  
When he realized that she was not shocked in any way, his mouth closed and his  
lips pressed together in a tight line. "Let's get going," he said abruptly,   
walking away from both the girls. "The faster we get there, the faster I can  
find out exactly what's going on."  
"Nice going," Misty mumbled as they hurried to catch up.  
"OK, so that wasn't the best way for him to find out," Penny whispered.  
"I just acted, all right?"  
"Next time, think first!" Misty whispered back harshly. "You're lucky  
no one else was around. I don't think you want this to become common   
knowledge, do you?"  
"All right, all right! It's not like you haven't made some mistakes  
yourself you know."  
"We'll discuss that later," Misty said, slowing her pace as she figured  
out that Ash meant to stay at least a couple steps ahead of them.  
As the three made their way to the Flaming Flareon, Suzie and Brock were  
already there, seated comfortably on the large plush couch. "I can't believe  
all the adventures you've been through since the last time I saw you," Suzie  
said, her voice holding a note of amazement as she idly stroked Vulpix, who   
was laying in her lap.   
"Well, that's travelling with Ash for you," Brock said with a relaxed   
smile. After they'd arrived at her suite, Brock had found it much easier than  
he thought it would be to stay calm and catch up with her. "With that boy,   
nothing's ever boring."  
"Still, Pikachu getting evolved into Raichu and then getting de-evolved?  
Ash gaining electric abilities like Pikachu? A strange girl saving Ash's life  
in Seafoam? And above all that, surviving that encounter with the Red Squad?"   
Suzie pressed one hand to her chest as she shook her head, causing the   
butterfree perched on her head to fly up a bit and jostling the sleeping   
female nidoran on her shoulder. "I'm just glad that you made it through all   
of those safely." A slight blush stained her cheeks as she stammered, "I   
mean, all of you."  
Brock knew what she meant, but he just couldn't get himself to believe   
it. So he did what any other man would in his situation. He changed the  
subject. "So, this is a nice place you have here," he said after nervously  
clearing his throat, looking around at the red and orange themed room.  
"Yes it is, but I don't know why they gave it to me," Suzie said,   
seemingly glad for the change in subject. "What use would I have for a three   
bedroom penthouse? It's just a waste, which is partly why I'm glad I ran into  
you. I don't like being alone in such a big place."  
Brock was about to ask what the other part was when someone knocked on  
the door very loudly. Brock and Suzie both got up to answer the door at the  
same time but ended up bumping their heads together, making each wince in  
pain. "Sorry," they both said at the same time, drawing a nervous giggle  
from Suzie and an embarassed blush from Brock. They both started to talk at  
the same time again, but that just made everything worse.  
Whoever was outside the door chose that exact moment to pound even   
louder on it, making Suzie and Brock jump in surprise. "I'd better get that,"  
she said, hurrying to the door as she tried to compose herself.  
Brock watched her go, trying to compose himself as well. There was just  
something about Suzie that made him feel at once at ease and nervous, but he  
couldn't quite put his finger on it. Any thoughts he was about to have were  
derailed though as Ash stormed into the room. "Ash?" Brock asked, surprised   
at the enraged look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"  
Ash didn't answer Brock directly, just nearly threw himself into an  
overstuffed chair and stared at the door. "Well?" he asked. "We're here,  
aren't we? I want my explanation."  
Brock looked over at the door and started in surprise. Misty walked  
in with her head down and sat down on one of the loveseats. But it was the  
girl who sat next to her that caught his attention. "It's you!" He   
exclaimed. "The girl who saved Ash at Seafoam! I knew you were real! I  
almost didn't recognize you with your clothes on."  
"You didn't mention you saw her naked," Suzie said in a too sweet voice  
as she sat down next to Brock, her right eye twitching slightly.   
"Hi Brock," the girl said quietly, feebly waving in his direction.  
"Yeah, I'm real...kinda."  
"Kinda?" Brock asked, more than a bit confused. "What do you mean?"  
"Oh, I'm sure you'll love Penny's explanation," Ash said sarcastically.  
"I know I can't wait to hear it."  
Penny and Misty both flinched from the venom in Ash's voice. "First  
things first," Penny said slowly, "I need to know how much you know about all  
this Suzie."  
Suzie looked at Penny, surprised that the girl knew her name, but told  
her everything that Brock had already related to her. Penny nodded and took  
a deep breath, telling her tale. The expressions on everyone's faces ranged  
from shock to disbelief to outright denial as she told who she really was, how  
she had acquired her new ability, and why she went for it in the first place.   
To prove her point, she stood up and transformed into Pikachu, waved at Brock   
and Suzie, and then changed back, making sure she was properly attired.  
Suzie slowly leaned back into the couch, trying to accept everything she  
had heard and seen. Brock wasn't in much better shape as he leaned back in a   
pose mirroring Suzie's. "I know this is a lot to take in," Penny said, but  
her voice hitched as she looked at Ash. Ash seemed to have calmed down as   
Penny told her story, but his eyes were as cold and hard as steel. "Ash?"   
she asked timidly.  
"I need to go for a walk," Ash said suddenly, lurching to his feet and  
striding to the door.  
"Ash!" Misty called after him as Brock ran to intercept him.  
"Don't leave like this Ash," Brock said. But Ash just pushed him aside,  
not paying attention to the yelp of pain Brock gave. He opened the door, ran  
outside, and slammed the door behind him.  
"Are you all right Brock?" Suzie asked, hurrying over to his side.  
"I'm fine," Brock said, gingerly rubbing the electrical burn he'd  
received from Ash. "I've gotten worse from Pikachu on an almost daily basis."  
"What have I done?" Penny whispered before dissolving into sobs.  
"He'll be back," Misty said soothingly, drawing Penny into a warm hug.  
"He will be back, won't he Brock?" she asked, doubt momentarily clouding her  
eyes and her voice.  
"I'm sure he will," Brock said with more confidence than he felt. "He  
just needs time to think this through and cool off. It's a lot to take in all   
at once."  
"Brock's right," Suzie said with a smile that never quite reached her  
eyes. "He'll be back before you know it."  
"I need to lay down," Penny said, sounding exhausted.   
"You can use the bedroom on the left. It has two beds, so you can lay  
down too if you want Misty."  
"That's probably a good idea," Misty said, helping Penny to her feet.  
"Is Togepi in there?"  
"Yeah, I put Togepi down for a nap before you got here. Feel free to   
use anything you want here, even order room service if you like. Come on  
Brock, we'd better get ready."  
"Get ready?" Misty asked as she and Penny walked toward their room.  
"For what?"  
"Well, I have this dinner to go to tonight and I asked Brock to be my  
date."  
Both Misty and Penny stopped and looked at each other. "Under any other  
circumstances, I'd be shocked that Brock actually has a date," Penny said with  
the slightest of smirks.  
"But under the circumstances, we'll just let it go," Misty finished for   
her as they continued into the room they would share.  
At around this time, a Gyarados-shaped submarine limped its way into a  
hidden inlet of a deserted part of the beach. "You were a little off this   
time," Jessie groused as she popped out of the hatch. "This thing could've  
been a full fifty feet closer to where we landed."  
"Sorry Jessie," James said, climbing up next to her and jumping down to  
the beach. "I thought I accounted for the wind this time."  
"Yeah well, don't make that mistake again," Jessie said, letting James  
help her down. "You know what seawater does to my hair." She turned back   
to the sub and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Are you coming Meowth? We  
don't have all day! I need to get Dratini and Lickitung to the Pokémon   
Center."  
"I'm coming Jess," Meowth said, hopping down between them. "Just a   
little extra crispy from that Thunder ya know."  
"Oh yes," Jessie said, pulling on a dark red, tight-fitting sweater  
over her Team Rocket top, "that reminds me. What did you mean about a wish?"  
"Well, Pikachu did me a favor, so I did her a favor by telling her   
where this Gem was that could grant wishes. I never thought she would do  
something like this though."  
James stared at Meowth as he traded his Team Rocket shirt for a plain  
white button down shirt. "So you're telling me that you knew where a gem  
like this was and never told us about it?" he asked incredulously.  
"It's not like it's there all the time," Meowth said defensively. "It  
comes and it goes, and Pikachu was around when it showed up so I told her  
about it, that's all."  
"Yeah well, you could've told us before this," Jessie said as they  
walked off. "But I do have to admit, it makes things a lot more interesting.  
I can't help but wonder how Ash is taking all this." Little did she know   
that she was not the only one wondering exactly that.  
Hours passed and Ash didn't return. As the sun was beginning to touch  
the western sky, Brock came out of the room he would eventually share with   
Ash. He was dressed in a nice looking white tuxedo that fit him perfectly.   
It amazed him that Suzie knew his measurements so well, and to be honest it  
freaked him out slightly. But for some reason he was feeling calm tonight.   
He just hoped he could control his normal tendencies when around the fairer  
sex so that he didn't embarass himself or Suzie.  
He walked over to Suzie's bedroom door and knocked gently on it. "Are  
you almost ready Suzie?" he asked. "We have to leave soon."  
"Almost Brock," he heard her call from inside. "Could you check on   
Misty and Penny for me and let them know we'll be going?"  
"You got it," Brock answered, setting the corsage he carried on a  
nearby table and walking over to the other bedroom door. "You guys awake?"  
he called, knocking gently on the door. When no one answered, he cracked   
the door open slightly and peered inside.   
The sight before him broke his heart. Both Misty and Penny were sound  
asleep in their beds, tearmarks all over their faces and pillows. Togepi  
slept fitfully beside Misty, obviously upset like her mother was. Brock took  
in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He knew Ash would be back  
eventually, he just hoped the three of them could work it out.  
"Still asleep?" Suzie asked quietly, coming up behind Brock.  
Brock nodded as he closed the door. But the words he had to say died  
a swift death on his lips as he looked at Suzie. She was wearing a sleeveless  
gold dress that shimmered in the evening light as she walked. It fell down to  
just below her knees and was held up by one wide strap over her left shoulder.  
The neckline travelled from one edge of the strap down to under her right arm,  
just hinting at her decolletage. If she was wearing any makeup, he couldn't  
tell. "Do you like it?" she asked, spinning around once for effect.  
Brock felt his mouth go dry and nodded. "You look gorgeous," he said,  
somehow getting his tongue to work.  
"You look quite dashing yourself," Susie said, taking his arm in a very  
natural manner. "Shall we go?"  
Brock nodded again and escorted her to the door. As he held it open   
for her, he silently repeated a mantra to himself over and over. "Please   
don't let me make a fool of myself."  
It turns out he didn't even have to worry about it as once they arrived  
at the dinner, Brock was in his element. They mingled easily with all the   
other breeders, trading tips on raising and feeding pokémon. A number of them  
had heard of Brock's special pokémon food and constantly asked him for the  
secret, some even offering to trade a pokémon for it! But he wouldn't give   
in, saying that it was the one thing that set him apart from other breeders.  
Once all the talk had died down, Suzie and Brock found their way over to  
their private table and enjoyed a pleasant dinner. "This is the most fun I've  
had in a long time," Suzie said, delicately wiping her mouth with her napkin.  
"I'm glad you're having a good time," Brock said with a smile, trying   
not to let his gaze linger on the slight pink smudge on the napkin. "It does  
feel nice to be able to relax like this and not have to worry about anything."  
But as if Brock saying something jinxed it, two metal canisters rolled  
into the hall and exploded, sending a red-tinged gas everywhere. Suzie   
brought her napkin up to her nose and motioned for Brock to do the same.   
"What's going on here?" she asked, squinting her eyes against the tears the  
gas forced from them.  
"You want to know what's going on?" a scratchy voice asked, accompanied  
by a dark chuckling.  
"Well, why don't we tell them?" another, more soft and sensual voice   
asked. "You'd all better prepare for trouble and make it double."  
Recognition flared in Brock's face. "Those voices!" he yelled as the  
gas began to clear, slowly revealing two figures.  
"To destroy the world with devastation!" the first voice said   
menacingly.  
"To kill all people within our nation!" the second voice continued.  
"To erase the goodness of truth and love!"  
"To enslave all of the stars above!"  
"Butch!" the first voice proclaimed as his face became visible.  
"Cassidy!" the second said as she was revealed.  
"We're the Red Squad, ruling all between Earth and sky!"  
"Surrender now or prepare to die!"  
"All right, we're going to make this really simple for all of you,"  
Butch said, pulling a pokéball out of the pocket of his new uniform. It was  
solid red, except for a black "R" that stood out on the left sleeve. "You   
will all hand over all your pokémon and valuables you have on you."  
"If anyone even hesitates to comply with this," Cassidy added with a  
smirk that seemed at once seductive and evil, "we will not hesitate to make an  
example out of you. All the stories you've heard about the Red Squad are   
true, and we're not afraid to prove it."  
"What are you two doing here?" Brock demanded, jumping to his feet.  
"Oh look," Cassidy said as she spied Brock, "it's one of those children  
that got us kicked off of Team Rocket. I don't know whether to thank you or  
kill you."  
"So why don't we compromise?" Butch asked, leering at Suzie who shrank  
away from his gaze.  
"I like the way you think," Cassidy said, pulling out her own pokéball.  
"Go Persian! Let's make an example out of her!"  
"I choose you Rhyhorn!" Brock called, tossing the pokéball of his   
newest pokémon. "Take down that Persian now!" Rhyhorn bellowed and lowered   
her head, charging at the persian.   
"Oh please," Cassidy said, rolling her eyes. "Persian, poison slash!"  
Persian waited until Rhyhorn was close and leapt gracefully over her, hitting  
the ground at a dead run and aiming straight for Suzie, its extended claws  
shining an eerie blue. Brock jumped across the table and pushed Suzie out   
of the way at the last moment, but took the full brunt of Persian's attack   
across his chest. "Well, that didn't go as I expected," Cassidy said, placing  
one finger at the corner of her mouth as she assumed a thinking posture,   
before her lips curled in a sneer. "But it will work just as well."  
Brock pushed himself to his feet even though the movement obviously  
pained him. "Rhyhorn!" he yelled. "Take Down!"  
"That again?" Cassidy said, yawning. "Persian, take care of that  
stupid looking pokémon with your poison slash!" Persian aimed its attack at  
Rhyhorn, but the rock pokémon's tough skin took the attack with no apparent  
damage and the catlike pokémon was sent flying back to land at Cassidy's   
feet. "Persian, return!"  
Brock tried to call out another attack, but he didn't have the air in  
his lungs to do so. The burning pain from the persian's attack had spread  
through out his entire body and now forced him down to his knees. The last  
thing he saw before unconsciousness claimed him was Suzie's face, silently  
pleading with him to hold on.  
"That takes care of one of the twerps," Butch said. "Now then, unless  
the rest of you want to end up the same way, hand 'em over!"  
"No!" Suzie yelled standing up and taking a pokéball from her dress.  
"I won't let you get away with what you did to Brock!"  
"Yeah, that's right!" another breeder yelled, grabbing a pokéball in  
each hand. "You can't get us all."  
Butch and Cassidy both took a step back as they were confronted by at   
least twenty breeders who all had pokéballs at the ready. "We won't forget  
this insult," Cassidy snarled, throwing down another gas canister.  
Everyone covered their faces from the gas as the canister exploded.  
When they opened their eyes, Butch and Cassidy were both gone. Suzie hardly  
even noticed as she knelt by Brock's side. "Brock, can you hear me?" she  
asked, running her hand through Brock's hair and flinching at how warm he  
felt. "Someone help me!"  
Rhyhorn came over and nuzzled Brock worriedly. Suzie looked at Rhyhorn  
a moment and her face lit up. Using strength she didn't even know she had,   
she lifted Brock up on Rhyhorn's back and climbed up behind him. "Get us to  
the Pokémon Center!" Rhyhorn took off at top speed, breaking through the   
hall's doors and leaving the breeders to scramble out of her way.   
Ash walked down one of Cinnabar's many streets, his hands shoved into   
his pockets and his gaze on the ground. He knew he had to go back to the   
hotel sooner or later, but for right now he needed it to be later rather than  
sooner. Everything he knew was thrown for a loop. The one aspect of his   
future he felt was fairly certain now had a huge and unexpected variable  
thrown in. The worst part was, it wasn't one he could discount. He had to  
find out; he had to know for certain.  
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he nearly got run over by   
Rhyhorn as it ran past him. The near miss was enough to pull him from his  
thoughts long enough for him to notice that it was carrying Brock and Suzie,   
and that Brock was obviously not doing well.   
Ash broke into a run, trying to keep up with Rhyhorn and just managed  
to spy it charging into the Pokémon Center. As Ash finally caught up, out of  
breath, he caught the tail end of the lecture Nurse Joy was trying to give  
Suzie. Surprisingly, Suzie yelled right back, screaming something about Brock  
being poisoned by a persian. "That's quite impossible," Nurse Joy said with   
an air of finality.  
"Then explain this!" Suzie said, pulling aside Brock's shirt to show  
Nurse Joy the three slash marks across Brock's chest that were oozing a shiny  
blue fluid.  
Nurse Joy almost jumped over her desk to examine Brock. "These are  
definitely the slash marks of a persian," Nurse Joy admitted. "But this   
poison is like nothing I've ever seen before. Chansey, get a stretcher for  
him!"  
"Chansey!" the pink pokémon said, giving a salute before running off  
to get the stretcher.  
"What's going on?" Ash demanded as he skidded to a stop. "What   
happened to Brock?"  
"We were attacked by the Red Squad!" Suzie said, twisting the fabric of  
her dress nervously between her fingers. "They seemed to recognize Brock and  
sent their persian after me. Brock pushed me out of the way but he got the  
slash. It was poisoned somehow."  
"They recognized him? What do you mean?"  
"They said something about him being responsible for them getting kicked  
off Team Rocket. Oh, I don't know!"  
"Calm down," Ash said slowly, taking Suzie's hands in his. "Just go   
with Brock, I'll figure out everything." Suzie nodded and ran after the   
chanseys that were hurrying Brock into the back. Ash watched her go until   
Rhyhorn bellowed again, trying to follow after her trainer. "Whoa, settle   
down Rhyhorn," Ash said, trying to hold onto the pokémon.   
It was at this point that he noticed something blue sticking out of her  
back. With care, he pulled it out and took a look at it. "This looks like a  
persian's claw," he thought. "Hey, if this is one of that persian's claws,   
maybe Nurse Joy can use it to find an antidote!"  
"Won't work Ash."  
Ash whirled around to see Jessie and James standing behind him, grave  
expressions on their faces. "This is really not--"  
"We know that Ash," Jessie said, brushing her hair behind her. "We   
heard what happened to your friend and we wanted to help. We know who's   
behind this, and it shouldn't surprise you either."  
"The only Team Rocket members that were kicked off recently are Butch  
and Cassidy," James said quietly. "There have always been rumors that they  
were Red Squad members, but nothing we could ever prove. I guess we have the  
proof now, don't we?"  
"I should've known," Ash said, electricity starting to crackle around  
his clenched fists.   
Jessie and James took a step back, surprised by what they saw. "I'd   
love to know how that happened," Jessie said, "but this isn't the time. Look,  
you don't have much time. The Red Squad is known for tipping their pokémon's  
claws and teeth in a special poison that there's only one cure for, and they  
have it."  
"So I have to get it from them? How much time do I have to find them?"  
"It's all on how strong Brock is," Jessie said. "But from what I know  
of him, you have at least six hours, and that's more than most. Fortunately,  
we have a pretty good idea of where they are. You see, there's a convention  
hall in town that used to be a Team Rocket base. I'm pretty sure the   
underground part of the base was never found, so that's your best bet."  
"Great," Ash said, turning his hat backward. "Thanks for all your help.  
I gotta get going."  
"Hold on," Jessie said, grabbing his shoulder. "You'll need one of   
these to get in," she added, pressing a cardkey into his hand. "The door will  
most likely be boarded up or something, so don't forget to check everything.  
Also, they'll probably be expecting you, so be careful, all right? I don't  
want anything to happen to my favorite twerp. Good luck."  
"Thanks again," Ash said, taking off at a run.  
Jessie and James looked at each other for a long moment and then at   
Rhyhorn who was sitting by the doors behind which Brock had been taken.  
Silently, they went to find Meowth and their pokéballs, knowing what would be  
needed.  
Ash ran straight for the Flaring Flareon hotel, nearly knocking other  
guests there in his haste to get to the elevator. Once he was in it, he paced  
around the whole way until it reached the penthouse. He almost broke through  
the doors when it reached the top in his haste to get to Suzie's suite.   
"Misty!" he called, throwing open the doors with a bang. "Pikachu!"  
"What's going on?" Penny asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she  
and Misty came out of the bedroom they shared. Ash quickly explained the   
situation which drew angry gasps from both females as well as stares of  
determination from them both. "What are we waiting for then?"  
Misty ran over and grabbed her backpack with her pokéballs in it. She  
called out Starmie and asked her to keep an eye on Togepi for her. "I'm   
ready. You lead the way Ash."  
Ash nodded and ran out with Misty close behind. Penny paused a moment  
and looked at Ash's backpack. The pokémon inside would definitely be useful  
here, but something inside her told her it wasn't the right time for it to be  
revealed. Nodding to herself, she hurried after her friends.  
It didn't take them long to find the convention hall, but with all the  
police around they had no way in. "Stand back!" Officer Jenny ordered them.  
"This is an official police investigation."  
"But Officer Jenny, you have to let us in there," Ash pleaded.  
"Give me one good reason why I should."  
"It was our friend who was attacked here," Misty said. "We have to get  
something he dropped here. Please Officer Jenny, he's really ill right now."  
"Well, it goes against procedures," Officer Jenny said, obviously   
wavering. "But, I guess if you three are quick I can make an exception."  
"Thanks!" Penny said, flashing Officer Jenny a smile as they hurried  
past her.  
"Good thinking you two," Ash said as they ran down the stairs to the  
cellar. "Now, Jessie said the base was underground, so the door should be   
down here somewhere. Look for a door that's boarded up."  
"You mean like that one?" Misty asked, pointing to a door that had   
wooden slats across it.   
Both Ash and Penny stared at the door Misty indicated for a long moment.  
"I swear I looked that way," Ash muttered.  
"If you want to hide something," Penny said, shaking her head, "put it   
in plain sight."  
"Where'd you hear that?" Misty asked as they all walked toward the   
door.  
Penny sighed lightly. "It's something my mom always used to say."  
"Your mom?" Ash asked, looking up from where he'd been looking for the  
card swiper.  
Penny nodded, looking a bit uncomfortable. "You see, when I was young,  
she always told me the best place to hide was in plain sight because trainers  
always look in the hiding places for pokémon to capture. So I usually just  
sat on a tree branch and watched them go crazy trying to look for me. It was  
pretty funny actually.  
"So then how did Professor Oak catch you?"  
Penny blushed here. "I got caught trying to snitch an apple from his  
lunchbox."  
Ash and Misty shared a brief chuckle that Penny joined in on near the  
end. Mirth aside, they concentrated on finding the card swiper so they could  
get through the door before Officer Jenny came looking for them. "Found it!"  
Penny called, pulling open the door to what looked like a battered fusebox.  
Ash ran over and swiped the card through, stepping back as the light  
turned from red to green. The door, slats and all, swung outward, showing a  
staircase that led further underground. He went first with Penny following   
and Misty bringing up the rear. The staircase was very dimly lit, so it was  
slow going, and it seemed to stretch down into the very bowels of the planet.  
Finally, after a time that they weren't sure was long or short, they  
reached an open doorway at the bottom. "Come on in," a woman's voice said   
from inside. "We've been expecting you." Ash, Penny, and Misty filed into   
the room, glaring at a smirking Cassidy. "Oh don't be so surprised," she   
said, patting the raticate next to her on the head. "We figured you'd go to  
those losers Jessie and James for help in finding us, so we rigged the door  
to set off an alarm when you opened it."  
"Big deal," Ash said, more bravely than he felt. "So you're the Red  
Squad. So what! I've beaten you before, and I'll beat you again."  
"Ah, but that was when we were holding back," Butch said, tossing a  
small vial up and down in his hand. "We're going to make this real simple for  
you. If you want to save your friend, you're going to hand over Pikachu to   
us. You see, we have plans for that electric rat."  
"Are you guys sick or something?" Misty demanded. "This is someone's  
life we're talking about here! You're treating this like some kind of  
business deal."  
"But don't you see," Cassidy said with a patient smile, "that's exactly  
all this is to us. We don't care about your friend; he could die and we'd  
never even shed a tear. So don't try to appeal to our humanity. We don't   
have any."  
Ash clenched his fist as a yellow glow began to emanate from it, but he  
was stopped as Penny laid a hand on his arm. "Don't Ash," she whispered.   
"But--"  
"I have a plan," she hissed. "I just need you and Misty to be ready.  
Please trust me." Ash looked at her a moment and then glanced over at Misty  
for confirmation. At Misty's nod, Ash relaxed and nodded himself.  
"Stay right there," Cassidy said as Penny took a step forward. "Who are  
you anyway? I don't remember you."   
"Take it easy," Penny said, her hands held up in front of her in a very  
defensive and unassuming manner. "You said you wanted Pikachu, right? I'm   
giving her to you, that's all."  
"So where is she then?" Butch asked, his eyes narrowing.  
Penny smiled a secretive smile. "Why, right here." As they looked at   
her, she transformed, dropping into her clothes just as she did to Jessie and  
James. And, predictably, Butch and Cassidy were surprised and taken aback at  
her "disappearance" and bent over the pile of clothes to investigate.  
And that was just what Pikachu had been waiting for. She leapt out of  
the pile of clothes, knocking Butch and Cassidy on their backsides in   
surprise. With their guards down, she launched a powerful Thunderbolt at   
them, making them yell in pain and making Butch throw the vial up in the air.  
Ash dove for the vial, but he could see he wasn't going to make it.  
"Psyduck! Go!" he heard Misty yell.  
Psyduck appeared in a flash of white light right under the vial. "Psy?"  
he asked, confused at why he was being called out. Then the vial bounced off  
the top of his head and right into Ash's outstretched hand.   
"Let's get out of here," Misty said, recalling Psyduck as Ash got to his  
feet. She scooped up Pikachu's clothing and ran toward the doorway with Ash   
in tow. But before they could get through it, two machokes appeared out of  
hidden passages, blocking the doorway.  
"No you don't," Butch snarled, wrapping an arm around Misty's throat and  
placing the point of a knife against her skin. "I don't know what the hell is  
going on here, but no one's leaving!"  
"Misty!" Ash yelled, running to her, but stopping as soon as he saw   
Butch press the knife in a little more.   
"No one move unless you want me to cut her throat," Butch said, backing  
away with a crazed look in his eye.  
"I want some answers!" Cassidy demanded, baring her teeth in feral   
anger.   
"Dratini! Thunder Wave!"  
The two machokes guarding the door fell down, paralyzed by the thunder  
wave attack. The moment of surprise was all Ash needed to land a Thunder   
Punch on Butch's face, forcing him to release Misty and stumble back. He   
pulled Misty behind him, but the sight of a thin line of blood on her neck  
made him tremble with anger.   
"Get out of here Ash," Jessie said, stepping in front of him with James,  
Meowth, and Dratini. "We'll handle these guys; you go save your friend." Ash  
looked up at her a moment and then nodded. Slipping an arm around Misty's   
waist and calling Pikachu up to his shoulder, the three friends hurried up the  
stairs and out of the building.  
"Well well, look who it is," Cassidy sneered. "Do you pathetic excuses  
for human beings really think you can handle us?"  
"We don't think we can," James said, "we know we can."  
"Yes Cassidy, so prepare for trouble," Jessie said, a familiar look in  
her eye.  
"And make it double!"  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
"Jessie!"  
"James!"  
"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
"Meowth, that's right," Meowth said, his claws out and glimmering in the  
faint light.  
"You've gone too far this time," James added, his face and voice deadly  
serious.  
"Hardly," Butch said, massaging his chin where Ash had hit him. "But   
don't worry, we'll rectify that soon enough. Go Raticate, use Poison Fang on  
them!"  
"Dratini! Use Thunder Wave!" Jessie countered. Dratini tried to hit  
Raticate with her attack, but the rat pokémon was just too fast and Team   
Rocket was forced to scatter.   
"Victreebel!" James said, grabbing for the pokéball until Cassidy   
kicked him in his chest. But she had no time to gloat as Meowth leapt up and  
Fury Swiped her face.  
"You'll pay for that you mangy cat!" Cassidy swore, flinging Meowth   
away and into the wall, stunning him momentarily. Before she could call out  
a pokémon of her own though, Dratini threaded her way through Cassidy's feet  
and tripped her up, sending her sprawling.  
"I could use some help over here!" Jessie yelled, trying to fight off  
Raticate by grabbing hold of his teeth, her gloves the only thing protecting  
her from its deadly poison.  
Dratini slithered over to try and help, but found herself being lifted  
up in the air by her tail. "You little pest!" she screamed, slamming the  
pokémon headfirst into the ground.  
"Dratini! No!" Jessie yelled, trying to push the Raticate off her but  
starting to weaken.  
Dratini managed to open her eyes and saw Raticate's teeth inching closer  
to Jessie's neck. Swiveling her head around, she saw James fighting Butch  
desperately for control of the knife and Meowth trying to keep Cassidy busy.  
It hurt to move, it hurt to think, but she knew she had to save her friends.  
But she also knew that she was too weak to do it. She closed her eyes,   
searching for the inner strength she knew was locked within her. She found   
it, and she forced it out, feeling it fill her as she began to glow with a  
bright, white light.  
Everyone was too busy to notice, especially Jessie who could now feel  
Raticate's horrible breath on her neck. "It can't end like this," she said  
through gritted teeth. Quicker than she could see, something long and a  
deep greyish-blue shot over to Raticate and wrapped around him, squeezing so  
hard the pokémon nearly screamed in pain. "Dratini?" she asked, finally  
able to push the Raticate off of her.  
A more gentle and serene face looked at Jessie, a small orb attached   
under her chin and a small horn sprouting from the top of her head. "No,"  
Jessie whispered, realizing what must have happened, "Dragonair."  
Dragonair nodded and tightened her Wrap attack on the now helpless  
Raticate. With her now longer body, subduing the Raticate was simple enough.   
She looked over to the other fights going on and an idea occurred to her.   
Uncurling her body in a whip-like motion, she sent Raticate hurtling into   
Cassidy, which forced her into Butch and then all three into the wall.  
James slowly got to his feet, holding his forearm where Butch had   
managed to cut him. He helped Meowth up as well and together they stumbled  
over to where Jessie and Dragonair waited. "Well," he said, looking at  
Dragonair, "look at you."   
"Looking good there," Meowth said, then whipped his gaze around to the  
Red Squad members who were untangling themselves from each other. "What do   
you think we oughta do with them?"  
"I know exactly what they deserve," Jessie said with a cruel smile.  
"Dragonair, use your Dragon Rage."  
Dragonair's horn glowed as she let out a melodious call that echoed in  
the underground room. A powerful twister formed as the result of her call and  
sped away at her direction, slamming into the Red Squad and putting them   
through the wall into one of the many secret passageways.  
"I think Officer Jenny can handle them from here," James said with a   
smirk, and then started in surprise. "I can't believe I actually just said  
that!"  
"Believe it," Jessie said, putting James' arm around her shoulders as  
she recalled Dragonair to her pokéball. "But maybe we'd better get out of  
here before she thinks we had anything to do with it."  
A couple hours later, Ash sat with Misty and Penny in the Pokémon Center  
waiting for word on Brock's condition. They all held onto each other tightly,  
drawing comfort and strength from each other as they hoped and prayed that   
they weren't too late.   
When the doors to the back opened, all three jumped up, ready to badger  
Nurse Joy with questions until she gave them the answers they wanted. But it  
wasn't Nurse Joy who walked. "Hey guys," Brock said, looking a little pale,  
but far better then the last time Ash had seen him.  
Brock smirked as he saw the surprise on his friends' faces, but his   
smirk soon turned to a look of fear as they rushed him, grabbing him in a bone  
jarring group hug. "Easy on him guys!" Suzie said with a soft laugh. "He's  
still hurting a little."  
The others released Brock at once, an ashamed blush on all three of   
their faces. "Sorry about that," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head  
nervously.  
"No harm done," Brock said, hiding a wince as he talked. "That antidote  
you got for me worked great, but I'm still a little weak. Nurse Joy said I   
should stay in bed the next few days until I have all my strength back."  
"And I intend to make sure he does," Suzie said, taking hold of Brock's  
hand in hers. "It's the least I can do after he saved my life."  
"It was nothing," Brock said, rubbing the back of his head like Ash did.  
"Let's just head back to the hotel. It's been a long day for everyone." And  
that was just what they did.  
Later that night, as the moon rose high above Cinnabar Island, three   
people sat on the balcony of a penthouse suite, looking over the ocean. Suzie   
had insisted that Brock use her bed to sleep in as it was the most comfortable  
in the suite. After making sure he was settled in, she readied herself for  
bed and slipped in next to him, causing him all sort of embarassment. She   
softly reminded him and the others that she promised to make sure he rested,  
and she was going to do just that, even if it meant that she would stay in the  
bed with him. A soft kiss on his cheek quieted Brock down finally, and they  
both drifted off to sleep as Suzie gingerly rested her head on his chest.  
That left the other three an opportunity to talk and so here they were,  
trying to figure out how to approach things. "For as long as I can remember,"  
Ash said quietly, making the two girls look in his direction, "all I ever   
wanted was to be Pokémon Master. It consumed all my thoughts, all my dreams.  
And though it's still very important to me, there's something else I dream  
about now.  
"You see, the day I met Misty, something started to change. She found a  
way to get through all the barriers I put around my heart to keep it from  
interfering with my goals, and I've never been the same since. Somewhere   
along the way, I began to have feelings for her.  
"But," he continued, "I was too afraid of doing anything about it which  
could wreck our friendship, so I never said anything. Even when I was sure  
she had feelings for me too, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. But now   
things have changed. My best friend, Pikachu, can make herself human. And she   
too has feelings for me. And do you want to know the worst part? Now that she  
is a human as well, I can't deny that I have feelings for her as well. I don't  
know what to do. I mean, I'm only thirteen here. Even if I'll be fourteen in  
a couple months, all this scares me."  
"This is partly my fault Ash," Misty said in a voice just as quiet as  
Ash's was. "I could've taken the first step in our relationship, but I was  
just as afraid as you were. No, that's not true. I thought that we would  
always be together, that no one could have the kind of bond with you like I  
did. I waited, I was selfish, secure in the knowledge that your love was mine  
whenever I wanted it. And now I'm paying for it, because I might lose you."  
"I have some blame in this too," Penny said, her own eyes tearing up as  
she saw Misty's do the same. "I knew how you both felt about each other, and  
I knew I shouldn't interfere, regardless of my own feelings. But then I had  
the chance to, a real chance to. I should've said no, but I couldn't. And   
now I could end up hurting the people closest to me. But I can't deny my   
heart, and my heart tells me that I love Ash."  
"So what do we do now?" Misty asked, her voice so quiet is was almost  
lost in the sound of the waves.  
"First things first," Ash said, standing up and walking over to the  
railing. "While Brock recovers, I have to go after my seventh badge. That's  
what I came here to do after all. Once that's out of the way, we'll work on  
this. I don't know where things are going to go, if they go anywhere. I  
just know that I'm petrified of losing either one of you."  
"All right," Misty said as she walked to stand on one side of him and  
Penny stood on the other. "Just know that whatever happens, I'll always be  
here by your side."  
"The same goes for me," Penny said, laying her head on his shoulder.  
"No matter what, you'll always be my Pikapi."  
"That reminds me," Ash said, glancing at her out of the corner of his  
eye. "How should I refer to you?"  
"Call me Penny while I'm human, but Pikachu's good when I'm in my normal  
form." She sighed and slipped an arm around his waist, unsurprised to find   
Misty's arm already there. "Oh well, if nothing else, at least I got a kiss   
out of this."  
"Oh yes, that's right," Misty said, arching an eyebrow. "You two kissed  
each other at Seafoam, didn't you?"  
Ash felt his face turning bright red. "Umm, well you see...."  
"Save it," Misty said, the warmth in her voice dropping a few notches,   
but they could all tell it was forced. "It's not fair that she got a kiss--"  
Misty found herself cut off by Ash's lips covering hers in a soft and gentle   
kiss.   
He held the kiss for a few seconds as Penny looked on with an amused  
smile. "There now," Ash said as he pulled away. "Now you're even."  
Misty nodded, her cheeks an attractive pink and her eyes bright in  
the moonlight. She laid her head on Ash's shoulder and turned out to face  
the ocean. Ash put an arm around each of the girls at his side and sighed.  
The future was unclear for him for the first time in a long time. But yet  
somehow, he felt more ready to face it then he ever had. 


End file.
